


Flowers

by silentexplorer18



Category: Colby Brock - Fandom, Sam and Colby, youtube - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Financial Issues, Friends to Lovers, Kansas, Mild Language, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Surprises, minor disagreements, multiple jobs, pretty fluffy, tattoo appreciation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-10
Updated: 2019-08-10
Packaged: 2021-02-19 11:27:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,388
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22043488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silentexplorer18/pseuds/silentexplorer18
Summary: Despite everyone’s best attempts to lure you back to L.A., your checkbook simply won’t allow it.  Yet it doesn’t really matter; Colby knows he needs to find a way to keep you close.
Relationships: Colby Brock & Sam Golbach, Colby Brock/Original Female Character(s), Sam Golbach & Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 5





	Flowers

**Author's Note:**

> This is written from your perspective, but the reader is given the name Maggie. I hope you enjoy!

“Mags, when are you coming back?” Devyn whined through the phone.

“Yeah,” Kat shouted. “We miss you.”

Sighing, you smiled against the device, trotting out of your car and toward your apartment complex. “I miss you guys, too, but you know I can’t afford to come back right now. I’m saving up my tips and maybe in a year I can make it back out.”

Even though you couldn’t see it, you could hear the pout in Devyn’s voice as she spoke. “Maggie, a year is _way_ too long.”

“Then you guys will just have to come to Kansas for a visit. I mean, aren’t Sam and Colby planning on coming out in a few months? You can tag along with them.”

There was a pause, and you heard Kat’s voice hesitate before she spoke. “I don’t think they’re going. Sam said something about the travel dates being weird. He was pretty unhappy about it. I’m sorry. I thought Colby would have said something to you.”

“I don’t know why he would,” you sighed, plopping down on your couch and kicking off your business heels.

“I’m sure he wants to visit! If he knows you aren’t coming back for a while, he’ll make an excuse to see you!”

“Welllll…”

“You didn’t tell him?” Kat shouted, your hand yanking away at the outburst.

“He’ll do something Colbyish and try to make me move back and not pay rent and do YouTube and stuff. You know how he is. Besides, I don’t wanna disappoint him.”

“He’ll be more disappointed to be waiting for you all this time only to find out you aren’t coming back,” Devyn reasoned.

“But I am! It’s just gonna take me awhile to _get_ back.”

“Tell him!” Kat shouted again.

“Just do it, Mags. You know you’ll regret it if you don’t.”

Sighing, you relented. “I’ll think about it. I’m gonna get dinner. Talk to you guys later.”

“Bye!” they chorused, the line going quiet shortly after.

You sighed, head flopping down on the couch as you realized you really _did_ need to tell him. Your eyes trailed to the photos on the shelf next to your television. You, Colby, and Sam grinning, bundled in winter gear with snowballs in hand. That day had been perfect. Snowball fights, hot cocoa, singing holiday songs; everything had felt so _right_ in that moment. The photo below it was a cheesy prom photo. Just you and Colby. Sam had found some girl to ask out, but Colby promised to take you. And take you he did. He even rented a tux for the occasion. It was one of the first times you felt like the world was spinning just for you.

But then the world stopped doing that.

Sam and Colby moved to L.A., Viners and YouTubers climbing up the social ladder of success, and you were trapped in a one bedroom apartment in Shawnee Mission hoping that something in your life would change. Working two jobs, you’d been able to raise the money to go out for a few weeks to visit them, discovering the wonders of their newfound friends living in the Trap House. Of course, the visit had been short lived. You said you had to get home to take care of things with work, and the boys assumed that meant you were quitting your job and moving back to their city. Not having the heart to tell them the truth, you’d just let them hug you and kiss your cheeks before getting on the plane and coming home. With the way your jobs were going, it was going to take a lot of working to be able to go out and visit for a few weeks again, and your heart broke at the thought of not being able to see them. However, it wasn’t like you had much of a choice.

It was a little while later when your phone started buzzing again. Assuming it was either Kat or Devyn, you grabbed it without a second thought, but your fingers paused over the button. Colby.

Hesitating, you answered, and held the phone to your ear. “Hey, Cole, what’s up?”

“Not much. Missing you,” he murmured into the receiver. He sounded tired like he’d had a long day working.

“I miss you, too.”

“I know it hasn’t been super long since you left, but when are you coming back? California misses you.”

“Um, well,” you began, scrunching your eyes and taking a small breath before you said the words you wished you didn’t have to say. “It’ll probably be a year before I can come back.”

“What?” he asked, the sleep draining from his voice almost instantaneously.

“My wallet doesn’t miss California,” you explained with a chuckle.

“We can pay for you.”

“I don’t want your charity.”

His voice grew hard. “You _aren’t_ a charity. You’re my fucking best friend and you need to come home.”

“I _am_ home!” You knew that was a lie as soon as the words left you lips. Your best friends were your home, but you still continued. “I’m on _my_ couch in _my_ apartment getting ready to go to _my_ job.”

“I thought you worked earlier today. That’s what you texted me. Are you seeing someone? Is that why you won’t come back?”

“What? No.” You’d actually never been out with a guy before. Prom with Colby was the only date you’d ever had, and even then he was just acting as your best friend, not a real date. “I have two jobs, Colby. That’s how I got the money to come visit. I work days as a secretary and nights as a waitress downtown.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” his voice was full of hurt, and guilt immediately permeated your thoughts.

“I didn’t want you to worry.”

“I could’ve helped with the cost.”

You sighed. “I don’t take charity, Colby. I gotta go to work.”

You could hear him pause on the other end of the line, sorrow and frustration mingling in his tone. “I’ll come visit. I promise. Have fun at work.”

“Unlikely,” you said with a chuckle. “And Cole?”

“Yeah?”

“I miss you. Don’t think I don’t just because I’m stubborn. I just… you’ve worked too hard to spend that money getting me to L.A. You’re my best friend. I love you. Don’t forget that.”

“Yeah,” he murmured.

“But I really do have to go. I’ll talk to you later. Bye!” you shouted into the phone, hanging up as you raced out your apartment door.

It was a while later before you talked to the gang again. Busy with juggling two jobs and trying to remain a functional human being, you simply hadn’t had the time.

And then you saw it.

Blinking twice at the screen that night, you saw Colby’s shirtless body in his latest Instagram post. Of course, that wasn’t abnormal for the boy; he tended to post things that would satiate the hoard of sex crazed teens in his following.

But this photo was different. A new tattoo.

Under his collarbone, a few little flowers, buds dancing beautifully across his flesh, petals curling for the world to see.

The caption: “Keep the things you love most close.”

_Now, why on earth would he do that?_

A few texts popped up on your phone in the coming weeks that you tried your best to rebuke, ignore, or evade, but after a while they really started to get to you.

> **Kat:** He loves you. You gotta tell him you feel the same.
> 
> **Dev:** He misses you. Call him.
> 
> **Elton:** You know what’s up with Colby?
> 
> **Corey:** Hey, check on Colby.
> 
> **Jake:** He ran off and got a tattoo all of a sudden. Wouldn’t tell me what the hell was up. Call him.
> 
> **Sam:** You should come see us.

They’d been texting and calling for weeks. After a while, the frustration of not being able to have a conversation beyond the topic of Colby was driving you insane. He _didn’t_ love you. He was your best friend and that’s what he always would be. The gang was just misreading his friendly longing to see you. You couldn’t blame them; the two of you had been hip and hip for years, sharing all of your best and worst memories together. Being best friends, talking about one another nonstop was just a necessity of the job.

But he was busy with traveling and filming. The life of a YouTube star was far from uncluttered, and you knew that. So you didn’t call super often or push him to tell you about how every minute of every day had gone. However, because of the increase in filming and things on his agenda while adventuring, he’d been even less prone to calling as of late, opting to send a few texts an evening about how much he missed you or share a small anecdote about his day.

That’s what made the surprise of Sam’s call so confusing.

“Sam?”

“Hey, Maggie! How are you?”

“Uh.. good. I’m good. How are you? Are you guys okay?” Your voice wavered with your lack of understanding.

“We’re great! Actually, that’s kinda why I’m calling. Our last travel date got cancelled. I promised Kat I’d make it home for some alone time, but I think Colby really wants to stop in Kansas and see you. Do you think you’d be able to pick him up and tolerate him staying for a few days?”

A grin broke out on your face as you thought about seeing Colby again. “I’d love to! I’ll try to take off some work so we can hang out.”

“That would be great!”

“But, Sam? Why didn’t Colby call me himself?”

He made a few awkward noises as he searched for an answer. “Okay, so Colby doesn’t know he’s coming to Kansas to see you. He thinks he’s gonna stop in and see his parents. He just really misses you and keeps talking about how he can get you to come back out to California again. I think he needs to see you. He kinda spiraled when you said you weren’t coming back.”

“I _didn’t_ say I wasn’t coming back! You guys are so dramatic. I said it would be _a while_ before I _could_ come back. I never said never.” Sighing, you felt your defensive frustration dissipate. “What’s the plan? I wanna see him.”

“Colby called his parents and made plans for them to pick him up from the airport, but I already called them and told them the change of plans. Tomorrow morning - I’ll text you when - come to the airport and pick him up.”

You smiled to yourself as the conversation ended, excited to be seeing your best friend. Yet the more you thought about it, the more nervous you became. _What if he didn’t want to see you? What if he was mad at you?_ _Maybe the lack of calls on his part were partially due to the argument you’d had about visiting._ Sighing, you mentally prepared yourself for the day that was to come.

When you’d rolled up in your car the next day, nerves bubbling through your blood like electricity in a thunderstorm, you still didn’t know how he was going to react. However, when delight spread across his features as his eyes caught sight of your navy car, all your nerves vanished. Jumping from the vehicle, he almost immediately enveloped you in his arms, mumbling a “Hi,” into your hair.

You giggled as he nuzzled against you, pulling away after a few moments to put his suitcase in the backseat of your vehicle. “Surprise!”

The two of you piled in, conversations already fluttering from Sam’s wonderful trick to the travels the boys had been on to all the exciting things Colby had experienced since you’d seen him last. Skirting around the topic of your absence from his life in recent weeks, you went to lunch and did a few other exciting things around town, spending the day reliving the excitement of your youth before retiring to your apartment.

As he wandered through your miniscule space, he admired the decorations that adorned the wall, a small smile coming to his lips as he noticed how many of the photos included him. Through everything, even California, you’d always be his best friend.

It was then that he noticed your lack of a second bed.

You’d wheeled his suitcase into your bedroom, the only bedroom, when his voice broke through the pleasant silence. “Where are you sleeping?”

“The couch,” you chirped. You hadn’t minded the thought of it. Having Colby around would make sleeping on the hard as rock couch worth it. Besides, you had to work a couple nights this week and you didn’t want to wake him up at two in the morning when you would arrive home.

“Maggie, this is your apartment. I can’t-” he began.

“Yeah, Colby. It’s _my_ apartment. So if I say you can, then you will.”

Sighing, he relented, knowing he couldn’t win the argument. Wandering back out into the living room, his eyes trailed the photos, pausing on your prom photo. That night had been perfect. He’d never been quite so smitten with someone. It had taken him weeks to ask you out, but even then he pretended it was as friends because he couldn’t muster the balls to ask you for real. Sam never stopped making fun of him for it. “I like this picture,” he murmured as you rounded the corner. Your eyes widened as you caught sight of the image. You felt kind of embarrassed you still had a prom photo up; it was kind of cheesy.

Biting your lip, you tried to hedge away from that topic of conversation, opting for something a tad less awkward and revealing about yourself. “So I have to work tonight.” The smile fell from his face, and you tried your best to recover from his disappointment. “It’s only tonight and the second day before you leave. I managed to get off the rest of the nights and most of the days. I’m sorry I couldn’t get off every day. It just wasn’t doable.” He was trying his best not to look too upset, but you could still read through the lines of his face, viewing the unhappiness he felt. “I’m gonna sneak in and shower when I get off,” you continued, gesturing towards the bedroom, “but I’ll come out and sleep on the couch after, okay? Make yourself at home while I’m gone.” Colby grinned at you, opening his arms and spinning in a circle cheesily. _Oh gosh._ “Please refrain from destroying my house, though?”

He laughed, shaking his blue hair from his equally vibrant eyes. They were bright with mischief. “No promises.”

While you were out working an eight hour shift of hell, Colby got the opportunity to meander around your apartment and get a gist for how you’d been living your life. First, he’d raided the snacks in your cabinets, admiring the trinkets and photos that cluttered every shelf and spare table in the little apartment, and eventually settled on watching a movie. Plopping down on your couch, he was instantly groaning. “How is this couch so uncomfortable? There’s no fucking way I’m letting her sleep on this thing,” he muttered. He managed to make it through two movies before he gave up on the stiff cushions. Meandering into the bathroom, he showered and put on some fresh basketball shorts for bed. Slipping into your lavender covers, he smiled at the scent of fresh laundry that wafted to his nose. You’d cleaned just for him.

By two in the morning, you were absolutely exhausted and smelled a lot like cooked meat. Sneaking into the apartment quietly and opening the door to your room gently, you hoped to keep Colby from waking up. You showered quickly, relishing in the feel of clean clothes on your body and smelling like something other than restaurant food. Stepping from the bathroom, you’d intended on sneaking back to the couch and crashing, but Colby’s voice shattered your reverie.

“You’re _not_ sleeping on that couch.”

Jumping, you placed a hand over your hammering heart. “Jesus, Colby. You just scared the shit out of me.”

He laughed, meeting your playful glare. “Sorry. I just needed to tell you that you’re not sleeping on the couch. That thing is a literal fucking rock.”

“It’s not _that_ bad.”

“No. It’s worse.”

You rolled your eyes. “Then where do you propose I sleep?”

With a cocky grin, he opened his arms. “Come here.”

“Colby, I shouldn’t.”

“It’s not like we haven’t slept together before.”

Sighing, you neared the bed, but your sass still permeated the air. “Every time we’ve either been kids or drunk.”

“Just come here.”

Ordinarily, you probably wouldn’t have relented, but you were tired and cold and all you wanted was to climb in bed and get some much needed sleep. Sliding under the sheets, Colby draped a warm arm against you. The two of you weren’t cuddling, but you weren’t completely apart, either.

And it was exactly how you both wanted it.

The next morning you woke to the sunlight filtering through the cracks in the curtains, gently illuminating the cube of space. Colby was still asleep, lounging on his back like he owned the bed. Yet he looked so peaceful you couldn’t help but smile.

Then your eyes traveled to his chest.

His bare chest.

Of course, you’d seen him shirtless before. It was Colby, after all. But this was the first time in a long time you’d gotten this close to him. His chest rose and fell with each light breath, and as your gaze flicked across his toned pex, your fingers gently traveled up to the two tattoos that rested there.

First, a locked heart. You couldn’t help musing over those bold lines in the glow of morning. _Would his heart always be locked?_ He’d given it away countless times before over the years, sometimes for worse rather than better. You’d always found a way to be there for him, to lift him from his sadness and get his life back on track. A while after he’d moved to L.A., he’d gotten the bold ink tattooed to his chest. You couldn’t lie that it was a beautiful piece of art, but you hated the thought of his heart being locked forever. Surely he would find someone that had the right key.

After a moment, your vision shifted, focusing instead on his more recent design. The flowers were small, but distinct enough that they stood out. The petals curled across his skin and fluttered down his chest, giving the illusion of a plant in motion. It was beautiful. Although simplistic, it was probably your favorite tattoo of his. The lines were thin, shading simple. It had an elegance unlike any of his other bold, dark designs.

And apparently he was more awake than you thought. His body shifted slightly under your fingertips, which were now resting on his chest, and his mesmerizing blue eyes met your own. “You admiring the goods?” he said with a smug look, voice still thick with sleep.

“No,” you mumbled a little bashfully. “Just your art.” He was quiet for a moment, so you continued. “Colby, why did you get a flower on your chest?”

You saw his cheeks begin to tint pink as his sleepy, raspy voice murmured back, “They’re magnolias.”

Your eyes shot up to his. “Why?”

He smiled bashfully. “Because I love you, Maggie, and I wanna keep you close to my heart.” His eyes shot away from yours when you didn’t immediately respond; you didn’t know how to top something so beautiful.

The shy look on his face melted your nervousness, and you leaned up on your elbows, placing a kiss on his heart before resting your head against his chest. “I always will be.”

Wrapping his arm around you, he kissed your forehead gently, letting out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. “I’m always gonna love you, Magnolia.”

“And I’ll always love you, Colby. But, please, can we stick to Maggie?”

“Whatever you say, but you’re always gonna be my favorite flower.”

You smiled, your breathy giggle fluttering against his skin. “I think I can live with that.”

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed! Here's my [Tumblr](https://silentexplorer18.tumblr.com/) if you'd like to come say hi.


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